Gerianne DiPiano

Gerianne DiPiano received the Founders Award at the 2019 Living Beyond Breast Cancer Butterfly Ball for her longstanding support of LBBC and the people we serve. She serves as president and chief executive officer of FemmePharma, where she is also chairman of the board. She has been a member of LBBC’s board of directors since 2015.

Gerianne DiPiano serves as president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the board for FemmePharma, a company dedicated to women’s menopausal health. FemmePharma seeks to bring to market innovative products that ease the symptoms of menopause, treat women’s health conditions, and improve women’s quality of life.

Gerianne founded FemmePharma because, as an industry executive and women’s healthcare expert, she knew the pharmaceutical industry narrowly addressed women’s health needs with products such as birth control and hormone replacement therapies. She saw a distinct lack of attention to other needs. Guided by her vision to provide more effective treatment options for women, FemmePharma focuses on improving women’s health by developing prescription and over-the-counter products specifically designed to ease symptoms of, or treat, a broad range of diseases and disorders that impact women.

FemmePharma’s products are developed to eliminate the side effects of traditional menopausal treatment options, encouraging women to continue treatment as prescribed so that they see greatly improved quality of life. The company offers prescription products for endometriosis, fibrocystic breast condition, and overactive bladder. Over-the-counter, they offer products to ease symptoms of natural and chemical menopause, which is experienced by 64 million women in the U.S. alone. Both lines are held to prescription pharmaceutical industry standards.

Much of the inspiration for the over-the-counter business came from Gerianne’s knowledge that women living with breast and ovarian cancers often experience chemical menopause caused by their cancer treatments. Chemical menopause prematurely and suddenly causes symptoms like burning, itching, and pain, and other menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and insomnia. The FemmePharma team recently launched the first in a series of products: Satisfem Intimate Skin Moisturizer, designed to relieve itching, burning, and painful vulvar and vaginal symptoms of menopause. Several other products, including Satisfem (bud) vulvar moisturizer and Satisfaite personal lubricant and moisturizer, will be available very soon.

Gerie became interested in Living Beyond Breast Cancer after several women she was close to were diagnosed with breast cancer. She found that LBBC ensures the women we serve receive the support they need during their journey. She joined the LBBC board of directors in 2015 so that she could be part of the LBBC mission of support and information. Gerie believes that LBBC provides women with the information they need to think through treatment decisions in a clear, supportive, and calming way, while also creating a community for those affected by breast cancer. Meeting the women that LBBC serves has made Gerie’s work more personal; she feels they deserve more. Gerie and FemmePharma will deliver that difference for women.

Gerianne received her Bachelor’s degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; her MBA from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia; a Doctor of Science (HC) from University of the Sciences in Philadelphia; and a Doctor of Science (HC) from the Wagner Free Institute of Science in Philadelphia, where she is currently a Fellow. A strong supporter of women’s health issues, her passions have always included women’s health and education. The pivotal event in Gerie’s life, and her inspiration to leave the multinational pharmaceutical industry and found FemmePharma, was the birth of her only child, a daughter. Her GERIE project is Gender Equity Research and Initiatives for Empowerment.

Learn more about Femmepharma, read their blog, and explore their products at femmepharma.com.